This invention relates to a tape cassette, and more specifically to the structure of upper and lower half housing members of the cassette.
Conventional tape cassettes use cassette housings of varied structures. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a housing 1 comprised of upper and lower half housing sections is fabricated from a single plastic material by injection molding. Another housing 5 in FIG. 10 is of a composite structure, with a metal plate member 3 affixed to a part of the outer surface of a plastic housing so as to increase the overall rigidity. Still another type is of a double-layer structure. For added molding accuracy, upper and lower half housing sections are each built from inner and outer layers of the same plastic material or a plastic layer and a metal layer.
The plastic or metallic materials heretofore employed for such tape cassettes usually are of low enough coefficients of friction to enhance particularly the running reliability of the tape. The cassettes, therefore, can be damaged when dropped carelessly while being handled inside an automobile, for example, for loading into or unloading from a car stereo. The cassettes of the character, when held within the vehicle or the like, tend to rattle in their cassette cases due to vibration of the automobile while running. The vibration, in turn, can result in scratching of the outer surface, seriously deteriorating the appearance of the tape cassette.
If the scratches are to be avoided, it is necessary to use a metal of high surface hardness or a high-hardness plastic material for the outer housing layer, but these materials are expensive. Where a metal is used, difficulties are involved in machining the piece for secure attachment to the housing body. The rattling or other noise can be precluded by laminating a layer of silicone rubber, neoprene rubber or the like to the housing surface. This involves bonding of rubber to the base, and the use of the bonding agent adds to the manufacturing cost and leads to deteriorated processability and processing accuracy.